NCJ Number
224228
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 47 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 1020-1029
Date Published
September 2008
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Using a representative national sample (n=36,992), this study examined the prevalence, patterns, and correlates of adolescents’ abuse of prescription pain relievers (PPRs), as well as “subthreshold dependence” (respondents who met 1 to 2 dependence criteria but did not manifest abuse) and dependence.
Abstract
Of all adolescents ages 12-17, 7 percent (n=2,675) reported no prescribed PPR use in the past year, and 1 percent (n=400) met criteria for past-year PPR abuse or dependence. Among the 2,675 adolescents who reported no prescribed PPR use, just over 1 in 3 reported symptoms of abuse or dependence; 7 percent reported abuse; 20 percent reported subthreshold dependence; and 9 percent reported dependence. Regular PPR use, major depressive episodes, and alcohol-use disorders were associated with each diagnostic category. Compared with asymptomatic, nonprescribed PPR users, increased odds of abuse were noted among nonstudents, users of mental health services, and those who reported poor or fair health. Increased odds of dependence were observed among females, those who were involved in selling illicit drugs, and users of multiple drugs. Subthreshold dependent users resembled dependent users in major depressive episodes, alcohol-use disorders, and use of multiple drugs. Study data were obtained from the 2005-2006 National Surveys of Drug Use and Health. DSM-IV criteria for abuse and dependence were used in the analysis. Nonprescribed PPR use was defined as any self-reported use of PPRs that were not prescribed for the respondent or that the respondent took only for the experience of feelings they caused. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 35 references